Six Mile Road to Recovery

To protect his identity, we have used the name, “Aaron Davis,” to represent our client in this story

The Beginning

In the trucking world, owning your own truck is a big deal.

Drivers at most companies are required to drive at least one year before they are qualified to get their own truck due to the responsibilities it entails.

So when Aaron Davis signed the papers for his first semi-truck, he felt as if this was his shot. His shot at being his own boss. His shot at making good money while still spending weekends with his kids.

But after only two weeks in his new truck, something happened.

Aaron had just finished driving and parked the truck for the night to catch some sleep before the next leg of his trip.

Not long after he drifted asleep, a sharp jostle woke him. His first thought was, “Earthquake? No…I’m not in California.” He was in Alabama. Far from any earthquakes.

As he tried to get out of his bed, the truck continued to move. Aaron made his way through the cab of the truck and lost his balance and fell.

A sharp pain ran through his shoulder, but at the time he thought nothing of it.

He crawled to the steering wheel and was able to use a broom to tap the horn to signal to whomever or whatever was causing the movement to stop.

More shaking and screeching. Aaron reeled again and fell once more on his shoulder.

Finally, after about 20 seconds, the sharp movements ended.

Relieved, Aaron looked up and made eye contact with the driver of the vehicle that ran into him. The other driver immediately began apologizing and insisted he help untangle their trucks. The ensuing efforts further damaging Aaron’s bumper, which ended up mangled and loose.

The police officer completed his report, the drivers exchanged information and prayed together before parting ways, leaving Aaron with thoughts about his two-week-old truck and what might come of it.

That night was difficult for Aaron as he tried to sleep on an injured shoulder that popped and creaked every time he moved.

After an uneventful ER visit, Aaron decided to call Eberstein Witherite, LLP at 1-800-Truck-Wreck®,. Since Aaron was in Alabama, the office routed him to the Atlanta branch and a representative from EW Lawyers drove to Aaron and conducted a full consultation.

After signing with EW in Alabama, Aaron got the battered truck back to his home in the DFW area so he could focus on gaining back full control of his life and his injured body.

Eberstein Witherite attorney, Wale, met with Aaron to make sure he got immediate medical care for his injuries. That meeting relieved a lot of Aaron’s anxiety about his case.

“I just let God do it because whatever is going to happen is going to happen. I can’t be Superman, so I just shut everything down and said, ‘Hey doc, tell me what to do. What are my steps in this process?’” Aaron said.

The Effects

Aaron’s children all live in different towns, making seeing them all quite a road trip. Because of the wreck, Aaron’s twice-a-week visits slowed due to a lack of money and the intense pain caused by driving long distances.

Afternoons of playing physical games with his 5-year-old and frequent evenings with his daughter at Jarvis Christian College were long gone. Aaron had to explain to his young son that their favorite game now hurts him and was embarrassed when, for the first time, Aaron didn’t have enough money to send his daughter her annual Valentine’s Day package full of goodies.

These small things are what affects Aaron the most.

The Crossroads

As the days moved on, the team at Eberstein Witherite was busy working on his case. At one point, Aaron almost decided to quit. Struggling to keep afloat financially, Aaron told his legal team he was considering taking the small insurance offer without fighting any longer. His case manager, Angie, compiled his bills and expenses and told him she would give him a call back.

Angie called back with good news: if he promised to follow the doctor’s orders and continue therapy, Amy Witherite would help him with his finances.

“It was a moment,” Aaron said. “You know, because you pray for stuff and when stuff like that happens, you know, your bottom lip goes shaking. They’re not just the visualization of people in suits. They are actually good people.”

With the financial stress gone, Aaron could focus on the surgeries he needed on his shoulder and rotator cuff. When he went in for the surgery, as the doctors lowered the anesthesia mask onto his nose and he slipped under its influence, a fleeting thought entered his mind: “Will I ever be able to do a push up again?”

The recovery was painful. Daily life changed drastically. He couldn’t play with his son. Sleep was difficult and Aaron had to teach himself how to completely operate only with his left hand, even though he’s right handed.

The Future

Since Aaron stopped driving his truck, he has been looking for work his body can handle. He is currently looking into pest control jobs as an option since he can operate the equipment with one arm.

“I don’t know if I want to deal with [driving] now,” Aaron said. “It’s not just what happened to me, that’s on the smaller scale. But I see so many fatalities driving down the road. I felt the force that I felt of a person backing in. Imagine if you compound that times 85 thousand pounds of metal times this and that. If something like this could affect my life the way it has, I don’t know if I want to deal with it.”

Aaron continues down his recovery path. He walks over six miles a day to help circulate blood to speed up the healing process. Forever altered from the experience, Aaron walks to remind himself that with help and support from his team at 1-800-Truck-Wreck®, he can keep his life running. He just has to keep putting one foot in front of the other.